SM Seaside City Cebu is a new lifestyle destination that boasts not just hundreds of shops and restaurants, but spectacular ocean and mountain views. Get ready to be impressed
 
November 27, 2015, Cebu City — It was a sunny day with beautiful blue skies as only Cebu can provide when we trekked to the South Road Properties (SRP) reclaimed area, located east of the capital. What was once a rarely traversed road, the six-lane coastal highway was now filled with cars all headed to the opening of the city’s new lifestyle destination: SM Seaside City.
 
Just a month earlier, I drove by the then-quiet area, awed by the size of SM’s yet-to-open new mall, wondering if it would be launched in time for the Christmas shopping frenzy. But on this day, once I stepped inside, what a surprise to see all 430,000 square meters done and ready to serve its eager customers. While many stores were still under construction, there are enough open ones to satisfy any shopper—among them, the anchor The SM Store, Forever 21, Uniqlo, Sfera, The Body Shop, Kultura, Watsons, H&M, Bench, Penshoppe, and more. But shopping is not the only thing on the agenda—also to be enjoyed are four state-of-the-art cinemas, two Directors Clubs, the IMAX Theater, bowling center, ice-skating rink, and food court. When completed, there will be over 400 food and retail establishments.

As I explored the mall’s five levels, I found it easy to navigate, thanks to its circular design (but wear comfortable walking shoes!). It is divided into four wings, with four very logical names—Cube Wing, Mountain Wing, City Wing, and Seaview Wing—that there’s no mistaking where you are, simply by looking out the floor-to-ceiling glass windows of each wing’s main entrance. They also incorporated color-coded spiral staircases—yellow for Cube, orange for Mountain, lime for City, aqua for Seaside—that make for perfect meeting spots, not to mention selfie backdrops!
 
SM Seaside City is SM Prime Holdings’ 56th mall in the country, third in Cebu, and third biggest of their malls (the biggest is Megamall, followed by SM City North Edsa; Mall of Asia is only fourth). It was designed by Arquitectonica, an award-winning architecture, interior design, and planning firm based in Miami, Florida. According to Arquitectonica’s website, they focus  “on ecologically sensitive, yet commercially viable design and [are] widely recognized for [their] ability to create unique forms of memorable imagery in close harmony with the environment.” Hence, the nautilus design concept, inspired by the spiral and pearly partition of a shell and its expanding, concentric arcs.
 
The mall, however, is only one of many developments in SM Prime Holdings’ master plan for their sprawling 30-hectare property in SRP. The first to open was actually the Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod (also called the 100 Walls Church), a very distinct modern structure designed by New York-based Filipino-American architect Carlos Arnaiz. Set to open early next year are the Sky Park, situated on the mall’s roofdeck, which includes foliage, water features, a playground designed by Kenneth Cobonpue, and restaurants; and the Seaside Tower,  a 25-story tower with restaurants, a roof deck, and a viewing deck that offers 360-degree views of Cebu City. Eventually, the whole complex will include condominiums, hotels, a convention & exhibition center, a school, and a hospital.
 
Overwhelmed? I was. I had to step outside and take in the lovely expansive view of the Cebu Channel, which makes a perfect backdrop to the 21 x 21-meter steel Cube, a soon-to-be-iconic landmark of the city. (And not a few have pointed out that Cube is an anagram of Cebu. Coincidence?)
 
So make your way to SM Seaside City. You can choose to drive over (with 4,336 parking slots, you’re sure to find one), or hop on to one of the My Bus shuttles that can you take from SM City Cebu to SM Seaside City and back. See you there!
 
For more information, go to www.smsupermalls.com, like SM Seaside City Cebu (Official) on Facebook.